


A Touch of Advice

by anas_penelope



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-14
Updated: 2014-09-14
Packaged: 2018-02-17 10:29:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2306441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anas_penelope/pseuds/anas_penelope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While travelling through America, Hermione and Narcissa come across a town protected by a magical barrier. Unable to resist the temptation, they pass through it and find themselves in Storybrooke, Maine, just in time to give a certain mayor and sheriff duo some much needed relationship advice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Touch of Advice -- Cover Art](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2304665) by [sheepyshavings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheepyshavings/pseuds/sheepyshavings). 



> Ok, so technically this is a sequel to a fic that does not currently exist. It's a monster of a fic that I have every intention of finishing one day, but all that is really relevant to this is that Hermione and Narcissa are a thing. I know, it's weird. Just roll with it. Happy reading!

They were flying almost directly above Storybrooke when Hermione first sensed the barrier.

Or, perhaps “sensed” wasn’t quite the right word. Although she had agreed to travel by broom on this trip for the sake of sightseeing, Hermione was still somewhat less than comfortable flying on her own. So, when she brushed against the outside of the barrier on the flyover, it was really less sensing and more almost falling off her broom.

Either way, she was alerted to the presence of the barrier and – because who would expect less from one of Harry Potter’s best friends – felt obliged to inspect it. Waving Narcissa, who was already watching her in some alarm, over, Hermione descended carefully, trying to avoid any repeats of the heart-stopping aerial gymnastics her first contact with the barrier had provoked.

By the time Hermione landed, her unease making her slow, Narcissa was already on the ground and striding towards her.

“What happened?”

“Geez, let me breath, Cissa.” Dropping her broom on the ground with a look of disgust, Hermione walked tentatively forward until she felt the familiar pulsing of magic.

“There’s a barrier here, see? I flew into it.”

Joining her, Narcissa reached forward then nodded.

“It’s rather strong.” Then, seeing the look on Hermione’s face, she sighed. “Hermione?”

“Yeah?” An absent-minded reply; Hermione already had her wand out and was prodding at the barrier, murmuring spells.

“You do remember that we’re meant to be on holiday?”

She turned around, just the hint of a pout on her face. “I know, I know. It’s just… What would be so important to hide that it’d be surrounded by as thorough a barrier as this? Don’t you think it’s intriguing?”

“I think that it is most probably dangerous.”

“Exactly.”

Narcissa looked at the determined look on Hermione’s face and sighed again. “And because you have spent so much time with that Potter boy, you feel that it is your duty to investigate, for the greater good. How very Gryffindor.”

“Pretty much. Sorry, Cissa, I know you were looking forward to seeing that academy in the next town.”

“I shall cope, I suppose. Now, as far as that barrier is concerned…”

Turning back to the barrier, Hermione frowned.

“See, that’s the thing. It seems like there was a heck of a lot of magic behind this, and it’s completely protected against most of the stronger charms I can think of. But,” she flicked her wand. “It’s defenseless against a plain old alohomora.”

A shimmering spread out from where Hermione was pointing – the barrier, Narcissa realized – and a gap opened up in front of them.

“Come on, then.”

She started to follow the younger woman through, pausing when a thought struck her. “What about the brooms?”

Such a look of disgust passed over Hermione’s face at the reminder that Narcissa couldn’t stop a small chuckle escaping her.

“We can come back for the damn things.”

They passed through silently, suddenly aware of the potential danger on the other side. When they were through, however, everything looked much as it had before. After waiting a second to see if anything was going to happen, Hermione looked over at Narcissa.

"We should hide. Whoever's barrier that is will probably have noticed us messing with it." 

Narcissa cast a quick dissillusionment charm over them and they continued walking down the side of the road. Not long later, they weren't surprised to watch a police cruiser flash past them in the direction of the barrier. After a few minutes, it passed them again, returning to wherever it had come from.

Staring after it thoughtfully, Narcissa voiced the thought passing through Hermione’s mind. “That’s rather… muggle.”

Hermione just smiled and strode after it.

“The plot thickens!”

She had missed this, just a little.


	2. Chapter 1

Emma stared vacantly at the pile of paperwork in front of her. It didn't seem to be shrinking in the slightest. In fact… She leant back in her chair, sighing. 

"David, nothing's happening this morning, you might as well grab an early lunch." 

Her father nodded at her and stood, before smiling back at her. 

"You should come too, Emma. Take a break from all your… hard work." 

Laughing, Emma walked over to meet him, grabbing her old leather jacket on the way. Screw Regina, she thought. There should definitely not be this much paperwork for finding lost cats. But sod's law was out to foil her once more, and as the pair reached the door, the phone started ringing. 

"Come on, that is not fair." Emma looked almost pleadingly at the door, as if the phone would realise it was disturbing her precious lunch hour and quiet down.

"Do you want me to…?" 

"Nah, you go get your lunch. If I'm not there in five, bring me back a burger, OK?"

Giving David a quick pat on the shoulder, Emma mournfully returned to her desk and picked up the phone. 

"Sheriff's office. How can I help?" 

"I wasn't aware you had a polite setting, Miss Swan. Might I suggest using it more often?" 

Regina. So much for getting away quickly. 

"Sure, whatever. I was about to go for lunch, Regina, so make it quick." 

"Well, as much as I absolutely hate to tear you away from whatever pile of grease you're looking forward to ingesting, this is a matter of town safety." 

"And that is…?" 

"Someone has breached the barrier." 

Emma looked up, appealing to the heavens. Couldn't they just have some peace and quiet for once? 

"What, that incredibly strong barrier that was the joint work of you, Rumpelstiltskin and the Blue Fairy and that you assured me no one would be able to get through?" 

A sharp intake of breath on the other side. For a second, Emma wondered if she would live long enough to investigate the intrusion, but Regina carried on.

"Yes, Miss Swan, that very same one. Now, I imagine it would be prudent for you to go check the area for intruders, wouldn't it?" 

"Of course, Madam Mayor, I'll get right on it." She didn't add the "after I've picked up my burger" part. Just as she was about to put the phone down, however, Regina continued.

"I hope I don't need to remind you not to make any… pit stops. After all, who knows what kind of havoc such strong a strong practitioner of magic could wreak on our newfound peace. What they could do to, say… Henry."

Emma sighed. Regina was right; she had just been really looking forward to that burger. 

"OK, so where did they come through?" 

\---

Apparently, Regina knew better than to trust Emma’s ability to resist a trip to Granny’s, because Emma found herself face to face with her the moment she left the station.

“Miss Swan, do you have any sense of urgency at all?”

Emma watched her carefully for a second, then shrugged. “You know, Regina, I really have no idea why you bothered to ring me when you were right here… Not that you need to see me off or anything, I’m perfectly capable of resisting the temptation of a well-earned lunch.”

“As much as I would like to protest that point, I’m not here to see you off.”

“Oh?”

“I’m going with you, of course. To a wielder of magic powerful enough to penetrate the barrier, you would be no more a problem than a mosquito.”

“So… You want to protect me? Sweet.”

The faintest hint of a blush graced Regina’s cheeks, causing Emma to grin. Deciding to quit while she was ahead, she turned and started walking towards her bug. 

The sound of Regina clearing her throat forced her around again.

“…Yes?”

Regina just stood there, a rather condescending look on her face.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re not going anywhere in that death trap, whatever. Come on, then, your majesty, the cruiser’s parked round back.”

\---

By the time Regina had removed enough rubbish from the cruiser to feel like she could get in it without catching the plague, even Emma was getting antsy.

“Come on, Regina, it’s just a few takeaway bags. The longer you take getting rid of them, the colder the trail’s gonna get.”

“How lucky for you that you have someone with magic to help you, then.” Regina settled gingerly into the passenger seat, a look of abject horror on her face at the thought of what she might be sitting on. “Honestly, I hope you aren’t letting our son ride around in this tip.”

“Of course not, I take him in the death trap.”

Regina, catching the grin on Emma’s face, glared at her.

“Miss Swan, this really isn’t a joking matter.”

Pulling out onto the main road, Emma just laughed.

“Oh, chill out Reggie, I take perfectly good care of the kid.”

She didn’t even need to turn around to picture the look of horror on Regina’s face. It did mean, however, that she missed the transition to utter loathing which followed.

“I swear, Emma Swan, I swear in all seriousness that if I ever hear you call me that again then you will find your definition of the word ‘punishment’ entirely insufficient.”

“Neal does it too, you know,” Emma countered with a sickly sweet smile. This time she caught the definite grimace at the mention of Henry’s other parent. He was still not forgiven, then.

“I am very aware of the fact that Mr Cassidy lacks the intelligence to recognise the difference between my name and that… monstrosity.”

Emma didn’t reply for a moment, checking for oncoming traffic before she pulled out onto the road to the town line. 

“Then how come he never gets any of these creative threats?”

“Because, loath as I am to admit it, I expect at least somewhat higher standards from you.”

Silence. Then:

“Was that a compliment?”

“Perhaps a backhanded one.”

Emma nodded, a genuine grin on her face. Getting any kind of a compliment from Regina was like getting Henry to give up his comic books. It didn’t take long before Regina’s scowl was back, though.

“Really, Miss Swan, don’t let it go to your head. You are already more than sufficiently full of yourself.”

“Sure, Reggie, whatever you say.”

It was almost worth whatever punishment Emma would find herself facing just to see Regina almost argue the point before slumping into her seat in defeat. At least she was finally sitting comfortably, she thought.

They sat in silence until they were close to the town line, when Regina muttered out of the corner of her mouth:

“Emma?”

A raised eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Be careful.”

“Don’t worry, Regina, I know where the line is, we’ll be fine.”

“Good.”

Sure enough, Emma pulled over almost as soon as the red spray-painted line came into sight. She squinted at it as they got out of the car.

“Is it just me, or is the paint fading a bit?”

“Honestly, Miss Swan, of course it’s fading.”

She shrugged. “Guess I’ll ask around, get someone to redo it.”

A glance over her shoulder told Emma that Regina was glaring at her again.

“…What?”

“Or you could do it yourself.”

She sighed. Regina was right, Emma supposed, and as tedious a job as it was it was still probably more interesting than sitting staring at paperwork all day.

“Or I could do it myself, yeah.”

Regina looked at her intently for a few seconds, before waving her hand slightly. The fading paint was replaced with a bright, new coat.

“You will find that that takes a lot longer to fade than whatever rubbish the dwarves used the first time around.”

Emma stood still, surprised and a little confused, as Regina started to look around the area for any signs of the intruders. “But-“

“Really, Miss Swan, you are entirely too predictable. I would much rather you actually finished some of that very important paperwork you are very behind on instead of taking a day to do some pathetic job that could be finished by other means in seconds. Now, I would suggest you help me, but given how obstinate you are in your desire not to be taught magic-“

“Hell no!” One lesson with the ruthless mayor had been enough for Emma. As talented as Regina was, patience was not her strong suit. The donkey ears had worn off fairly quickly, but it still wasn’t an experience Emma wanted to repeat.

“My point exactly, Miss Swan. Given that, I suspect you will be of little use. I suggest you wait in the car, where you’re less likely to get in the way.”

Somewhat frustrated, Emma turned and started plodding back to the car before a thought struck her.

“Why did you even bring me along, then?”

“Really, dear, I need someone with the authority to arrest this intruder, and you are much more pleasant company than that insufferable creature you call your father. When you leave the pathetic nicknames alone, anyway.”

Emma shrugged nonchalantly, trying not to grin too much. That was two almost compliments in a day. It was probably some kind of a record. “Whatever you say, Regina.”

Knowing that arguing would be useless, Emma leaned against the car, watching carefully as Regina investigated. The last thing she wanted, after all, was for the intruder – or intruders – to suddenly reappear and catch them unaware. Her attention started to drift fairly quickly, however – it was a reasonably hot day and she didn’t really expect the intruder to return. Instead, she started following Regina with her eyes, watching the other woman as she cast spells and prodded the road in a vaguely irritated manner. It felt like a lifetime since the days when they had been constantly at each other’s throats and Emma now found herself in the unexpected position of actually enjoying the time she spent with her. Regina did, after all, have a certain sarcastic humour which Emma greatly appreciated when it wasn’t directed at her. Like the time Neal crashed Regina’s car. It was months ago now, but Regina still hadn’t let him off the hook, a fact she made very clear at their weekly dinners with Henry, much to their son’s frustration.

“Damn it!”

Pulled from her daydreaming, the small grin on Emma’s face quickly changed to a look of concern. Walking over to where Regina was crouched, she found her glaring at the disappearing wisps of magic as if they had crashed her car.

“What’s up?”

“Something’s interfering with my magic. I can cast any isolated spell I want, but anything related to this intruder and the spell goes completely haywire.”

Emma frowned.

“So, tracking them…?”

“Is completely out of the question, yes.”

Holding her hand out to help Regina up – the brunette gave her an unimpressed look, but took it, which Emma considered definite progress – Emma considered their options.

“Well, I guess the only place for them to go would be the town, so our best bet is probably to drive back and look for them there. I mean, everyone knows everyone here, so surely they’d stick out like a sore thumb?”

Regina nodded.

“As I don’t have a better idea – and believe me what I say that amazes and frustrates me in equal measure – then I suppose that’s what we’ll do.”

Sighing, Emma got back in the car.

“Seriously, though, Regina, would it kill you to give a straight compliment?”

“To you? Dear, I imagine I would burst into flames.”

\---

Some time later, Hermione and Narcissa finally reached Storybrooke proper. Looking around, they couldn’t help but by surprised by the complete lack of any evidence of magic around them. In fact, the whole town seemed decidedly muggle.

“I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting, but this definitely isn’t it.”

Narcissa nodded her agreement, although her hand stayed close to her wand. She wasn’t ready to let her guard down quite yet. 

With no better plan of action, the pair continued to walk along the main street, peering in the windows of shops and subtly inspecting the passers-by. Having taken the disillusionment charm off when they decided there was no imminent danger, Hermione noticed that they were getting odd looks from some of the residents. After one particularly obvious one, she glanced over questioningly at Narcissa.

“We appear to be rather conspicuous.”

Frowning, Hermione looked at their own clothes. “I don’t know why… Unless they realise they haven’t seen us around before. I guess that could seem suspicious.”

“With a border like that, this must be a fairly insular community. It wouldn’t be surprising if all the residents knew each other, even if it was just in passing.”

“Not much we can do about that, then. Want to get a bite to eat. He can be a bit clueless sometimes, but I reckon Ron’s not wrong with his whole no thinking on an empty stomach idea.”

Narcissa smiled, having seen the diner in front of them.

“I daresay I agree, but I suspect this has more to do with the fact that you will be forced back into eating healthily once we return to Britain.”

Grinning, Hermione pushed open diner’s door.

“Well, that too.”

The grin faltered, however, when she saw the look on the waitress’ face. For just a second there was such a strong impression of suspicion that Hermione almost walked straight back out again. Then it was gone, and she wasn’t quite sure if she had imagined it or not. In fact, the waitress had such a welcoming grin that the former image seemed almost impossible. As they sat down at a table, she walked over with two menus.

“Welcome to Granny’s! I don’t think I’ve seen the two of you before, have I?”

Cursing herself for not realising they would get asked that in advance, Hermione stuttered out the first thing that came to mind.

“Uh, no. We, ah… We don’t get out much.”

A knowing look passed the waitress’ face, and Hermione felt a slight sense of foreboding.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you then. So yeah, our special today is the avocado burger, and don’t give me that look, it’s actually pretty good, but here’s our menu. Just call me over when you’re ready to order.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, and my name’s Ruby. If you were wondering.”

Resisting the urge to point out that it said so on Ruby’s apron, Hermione just smiled and looked down at the menu. Following Ruby out of the corner of her eyes, she saw her fiddle with a mobile phone briefly before an older woman – Granny? – swatted her with a dish cloth and pointed her to the plates waiting to be served. 

“This may not have been the best idea,” she murmured, catching Narcissa’s eye.

“Indeed.”

Not entirely sure what the best course of action was, the pair returned to distractedly reading the menus. Caught up as they were in trying to figure out what to do, neither of them noticed the sound of the door opening. 

The sound of a gun’s safety catch clicking came from behind Hermione. She flinched. 

“Hands where I can see ‘em, ladies.”

Hermione raised her hands slowly, turning around at the same time. She found a blond woman, around her age, staring suspiciously back at her. Behind her was a brunette, one hand raised with a fireball burning in her palm. She glanced at Narcissa out of the corner of her eye, and saw her nodding slightly in agreement. Here was the magic, and if it was as wandless as it appeared, it was no laughing matter. A closer look at the blond woman revealed a sheriff’s badge attached to her belt.

"I don't know how you got through that barrier, but you are sure as hell coming down to the station with me until we can figure out what to do with you."


	3. Chapter 2

“And once again, we have been lied to by the very people who claim to be so very invested in protecting us! I have here a recording of the statement issued by the Sheriff’s and Mayor’s offices assuring the town that this barrier is impenetrable, which is now proven a complete lie! I urge you, people of Storybrooke, to rise up and show these dictators that we will not stand for this, to fight for our right to-“

George’s voice was suddenly cut off, Regina having decided that she had heard enough of his useless drivel and turned the TV off. Why Charming saw fit to let him out into public again, she would never understand. Letting out a long sigh, Regina crept over to the window of her office for the nth time that morning and peered out from behind the curtains, before whipping her head back almost instantly. Did so many people really have nothing better to do with their lives than hang around outside her office hunting for any tiny scrap of information? 

“Apparently not,” she sneered, returning to her desk and picking up her phone. Just as she was about to dial the sheriff’s office, however, there was a knock at the door. Scowling, she replaced the phone.

“Yes?”

The door opened a crack and her assistant peered through it.

“A call for you on line one, Ma’am.”

Regina sighed. Of course. If they couldn’t get her one way, they would get her another. 

“Thank you, Sam.” Thinking him dismissed, Regina directed her attention back to her phone. After a moment, though, she realised that the young man was still fidgeting by the door.

“Is there anything else?”

“There’s a call for on line two, as well. And line three. I’m pretty sure people are still trying to get through, as well.”

“Wonderful. Is that all?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Then you may leave.”

As the door clicked shut, Regina slumped back in her chair, her frustration rising. It was going to be a long day.

\---

Emma grimaced as she looked out at the sea of people between her and the sheriff’s station. They hadn’t noticed her yet, but she was sure that they would mob her the second they did. 

Maybe it would be better to just not bother.

Yeah. That sounded like a good plan. Maybe go to Granny’s, get a nice big breakfast. No one would expect her to be there at a time like this, right? And David was perfectly capable of watching those two women – those two witches – himself, after all. 

Emma had just about decided to do just that – her hands in the process of returning to the steering wheel, in fact – when her phone rang. She stared at it in disappointment.

“Really?”

When it continued to ring, Emma reached over to the passenger seat and picked it up. It was Regina. Well, that put paid to any vague idea she had of ignoring it. 

“I take it your morning’s going just as wonderfully as mine, then?”

“Miss Swan, we need to sort this out. Now.”

\---

The previous afternoon

There was silence in the dinner for a moment, then the younger of the two women spoke.

“And what are we being charged with?”

Emma hesitated, not having expected such a normal, non-magical question. Come to think of it, what were they charging them with? She was pretty sure there wasn’t anything in the law books about breaking magical barriers. 

Thankfully, Regina was more on top of the situation.

“Let’s start with wilful destruction of property, shall we?”

“Destruction of property?” Hermione repeated, a puzzled look on her face.

“You do remember that barrier, yes? That is valuable town property which you have caused damage to. Nor do I doubt that you managed to trespass onto Rumpel’s private property while you were exploring, and I’m sure he could be convinced to press charges.”

Hermione scowled. They were technicalities, but they were true.

“And as you may have noticed,” Emma added, having had the chance to think the situation through. “We aren’t exactly your average American town.” She waved vaguely in the direction of Regina’s still burning fireball to illustrate her point. “So really, we are much less worried about following some bullshit laws to the letter and more worried about keeping our town secret, keeping it safe.”

A snort from behind the bar pulled Emma from her speech. Everyone looked over – the tension quite efficiently diffused – to find Ruby bent over in silent laughter. As Emma stared at her in disbelief, she pulled herself together somewhat.

“No, I’m sorry Emma, I really am, it’s just…”

“Just what, Rubes?”

“You were kinda quoting Lord of the Rings.”

Silence reigned for a second, before Hermione burst out laughing and Regina glared at Emma suspiciously. She had no idea what that was, but the look on Emma’s face told her she should probably be angry.

“Miss Swan, what in hell’s name is going on?”

Shamefaced, Emma fixed her gaze firmly on the floor.

“It’s an iconic line from an iconic film which Ruby and I were watching the other night.”

“And you thought now would be the ideal time to demonstrate the depth of your knowledge of utterly banal things?”

“C’mon, Regina, it’s not like I did it on purpose. The words just came to mind and I ran with it because they fitted the situation.”

Scowling, Regina looked away from Emma and back to the two women standing before them, their hands still half-raised but otherwise looking a lot less worried.

“Anyway, we have more important things to be worrying about. Shall we move these two to the station before we cause even more of a scene?”

Glad for the reprieve – although she knew there would be some kind of punishment later – Emma stepped a little closer to the two women.

“So, are you going to come quietly, or do I need to cuff you?”

\---

The pair came quietly, in the end, and Emma managed to get them to the station before word about what had happened had spread too far.

After shutting them in the interview room, Emma turned to face Regina and David.

“Right, I’m going to take the lead on this, ok? You two just need to sit there and look pretty.”

Regina chuckled. “Well, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be difficult to crack, so I suppose even you should be able to handle this one, dear.”

Rolling her eyes, Emma deigned not to reply and instead lead them into the interview room. After everyone had sat down, she fixed her face into a serious expression and looked the two women in front of her over. After a second’s pause, she started her questions.

“Well, I guess we should start with some introductions, right? What are your names?”

“Hermione Granger.”

“Narcissa Black.”

Simple, to the point, no extra information volunteered. It was to be expected, really.

“Right, well, nice to meet you both. I’m Emma Swan, this town’s sheriff. That lovely lady over there is Regina Mills, our mayor, and the gentleman on my left is David Nolan, my deputy.”

David nodded politely, Regina smirked. Much to Emma’s amusement, the older woman – Narcissa, Emma reminded herself – met Regina’s gaze unflinchingly. Unfortunately, in the time it took Emma to appreciate this unusual behaviour, Regina had become bored of waiting.

“This town was meant to be protected from outsiders like yourselves, protected by a very strong barrier which took the combined resources of our best spell casters to erect. It would certainly interest me to know how you managed to bypass it.”

Emma met Regina’s eyes, her eyebrows raised, but Regina just mouthed back at her, “You’re wasting time”.

In the meantime, Hermione and Narcissa had been having some kind of silent conversation. With a nod from Narcissa, Hermione began to speak, slowly at first as she pieced her answer together in her mind.

“Well, as far as I can tell… The kind of magic used to create your barrier and the kind of magic we employ seem to be rather different. So, although your barrier was protected against some means of attack, other simple ones had been overlooked. That’s my best guess, anyway, since I’ve never heard of Alohomora working on a non-physical barrier before.”

“Alohomora…?” Regina muttered under her breath, but as she seemed otherwise satisfied with their explanation, Emma took the reigns of the questioning back.

“So, what were you doing in the area anyway? Why did you decide to go through the barrier?”

Hermione shrugged. “We’re on holiday.”

“To be more precise, we’re on a roughly month-long tour of American wizarding communities whilst Hermione is not working.” Narcissa added. “Investigating the barrier was a mix of plain curiosity and a need to make sure there wasn’t anything untoward going on. We wouldn’t want a repeat of the last Wizarding War, after all.”

“Wizarding communities? Wizarding war? You mean to say that there are more of you?” David looked stunned. 

Surprised, Narcissa could barely hide the wonder in her voice. “Of course! Wherever there are muggles-“ 

“Non-magical folk,” Hermione supplied, seeing the look of confusion on their faces.

“Yes, wherever there are muggles, there are usually witches and wizards. Had you really not realised?”

The silence that followed her pronunciation answered Narcissa’s question for her. Then:

“Neal’s not gonna like this.”

Regina, unable to help herself, snorted with laughter, before looking shocked at her own undignified behaviour. She couldn’t help but agree with Emma, though.

“I shall look forward to telling him.”

Emma sighed.

“Don’t rub it in too much, Regina.”

“Need I remind you that he crashed my car? I see absolutely no reason to cater to his feelings.”

“If you say so. Still, that was, what, a month ago now? You’re going to have to get over it sooner or later.”

“Later, dear, it will most definitely be later.”

David cleared his throat, feeling somewhat awkward. Surprised, Emma and Regina looked at him, matching smirks on their faces.

“Yeah?”

He nodded towards the two women watching the conversation with interest. Narcissa’s eyebrows were raised and Hermione appeared to be holding back laughter. 

Realising just how absorbed she had been in Regina, Emma blushed a little. “Right, asking questions, yeah. Where we were?”

“The prevalence of wizarding communities around the world,” Hermione helpfully supplied. She had long since lost any sense of fear of their captors.

“Ok, yeah. That’s useful to know, I guess.” She glanced between Regina and David. “Anything else you think we need for now?”

“One thing.” 

Regina placed the two wands they had taken from the Hermione and Narcissa on the table.

“You require these to perform magic?”

After a moment’s pause, both witches answered at once.

“Yes.”

“More or less.”

Regina looked at Hermione with interest, her less than certain answer raising new questions. Before she could ask anything, though, David jumped in.

“So it’s like fairy magic?”

Hermione and Narcissa looked at each other, confused, then back at Regina since she seemed to be more knowledgeable about magic. Thinking about it, Hermione realised she was the only one they had seen perform any.

“Fairy magic is externally generated, as in it cannot be used without fairy dust and a wand. In theory, anyone could become a fairy, although a certain amount of affinity is usually required.”

After thinking for a second, Hermione shook her head.

“No, I believe that our magic is quite different. For us, it’s a force generated inside ourselves which is given focus through a wand. It is possible to cast spells without one, and children do it quite often accidentally, but it is incredibly difficult to control.”

Regina considered that.

“You said you more or less require your wand to perform magic. You have some skill in performing it without your wand?”

Hermione nodded.

“Some, but not much.”

“So without your wand you would be, in the main part, powerless?”

Another nod. Regina looked over at Emma, waiting for her to verify it. After a few seconds of watching Hermione intently, her lips curled up into a slight smile.

“I’m pretty sure she’s telling the truth.”

They sat in silence for a second, then David jerked his head towards the door.

“Shall we?”

Emma stood up and followed, Regina close behind her. Once the door had closed behind them, she let out a long sigh.

“Well, I don’t think they’re a threat.”

David nodded. Regina just gestured to the wands in her hand.

“Especially as long as we have these.”

“As for what we can do about them…” Emma looked at Regina. “I don’t think this is going to go down well with the townspeople.”

“Not in the slightest. I imagine it would be best to move them now, before the news spreads too far. Then we can release a statement this evening, explaining what has happened.”

“I agree,” David said. “The only question is where to put them.”

Silence. Then:

“I guess they can stay with me.”

David looked surprised; Regina just raised her eyebrows.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Miss Swan? I would have thought – since we aren’t arresting them – that we were trying to give them a good impression of our town?”

“Very funny, Regina, but I don’t see you offering up your home.”

“To perfect strangers? I should think not.”

“Exactly. This way, Henry can stay with you and I’ll have plenty of space for them at my apartment.”

After a second, Regina nodded.

“It is as good an arrangement as any, I suppose. You should be quick about it, though, I’m sure the news of our little run in at the diner has started making the rounds.”

Emma cringed at the thought. This was sure to blow up into something ridiculous, and she was not looking forward to it in the slightest.

“We’ll leave now, then. Are you keeping a hold of their wands?”

“Yes. I’d be quite interested to investigate them a little more – this brand of magic isn’t quite like anything I ever saw in our world.”

“Just don’t do anything to damage them, Regina, we want to be able to give them back in working order.”

Regina just gave Emma a condescending look.

“Right, of course you wouldn’t be that silly, what was I thinking? I’ll be off, then. Let me see the statement we’re going to give before you actually give it, ok?”

“Of course.”

\---

Present Day

After a quick discussion with Regina, Emma found herself driving to the town hall, where Regina had decided to send the mass of people looking for answers.  
There had been no one outside Emma’s apartment when she left, so she was confident that no one had realised that was where Hermione and Narcissa were staying yet. That was about the only good news, though.

By the time Regina had briefed Sydney on exactly what it was that she wanted to appear in the previous night’s paper, she had already started receiving calls about the disturbance at the diner. Although she had told her secretary to give them the standard message of “The incident at the diner was part of a sheriff’s investigation which is now resolved, and poses no threat to the safety of Storybrooke’s citizens” and tell them that further details would surely come from reputable news sources over the course of the evening, most of the callers had just changed to calling the sheriff’s station. As sorry as she felt for David having to handle it all on his own, Emma was very glad that she had left when she had. 

If only because it meant she was almost well rested enough to be able to deal with whatever nonsense George was bound to spouting this morning. 

As she reached the town hall, Emma saw Regina’s Mercedes follow her into the car park. Getting out of her car, she leant against it and watched the people trickling into the building until Regina joined her.

“Good morning, your royal mayorness.”

“I would debate the choice to describe it as good. Have you seen the news this morning?”

“After what it was like at the station this morning, I don’t think I need to.”

Regina considered that for a moment.

“I daresay you’re correct. Shall we get this over with?”

Emma couldn’t help but laugh at the look of sheer disgust on Regina’s face at the thought of actually having to take part in this nonsense. When the brunette glared at her, unimpressed, Emma just nudged her.

“Come on, Regina, it’ll be fine. What happened to your whole “I’m the Evil Queen, fear me” thing? Because it is just not like you to be scared of a few small fry asking ridiculous questions.”

Sighing, Regina started towards the front door, causing Emma to have to do an awkward little half run to keep up. As she walked, she called back to the blond.

“I never said anything about being scared, Miss Swan. In fact, I just find this whole event tedious and mind-numbing and not worthy of my attention.”

Emma laughed. With Regina around, boring press conferences and town meetings were a lot less so.


	4. Chapter 4

While Emma and Regina suffered through their council meeting, on the other side of town Hermione and Narcissa were enjoying a peaceful lunch in Emma’s apartment. 

“Have you actually seen anyone other than the mayor perform any magic?”

Narcissa looked over at Hermione – she had been keeping an eye on the enchanted knives chopping various salad items – with a slight frown. “Now that you mention it, I haven’t. Emma, David and Snow have certainly not shown any hint of spellcasting.” 

“Exactly. Even looking around the flat, you would have no idea that magic is a thing here. It’s all so very… muggle.”

“Thus telling us that magic could be an uncommon talent, which is not really all that different to Britain.”

Hermione waved her hand, intending the knives to stop slicing and push the salad into a bowl. Instead, one dropped to the counter, wobbling feebly, and the other speared the remainder of the lettuce. “Damn it!”

Raising an eyebrow, Narcissa smiled. “I did think two at once seemed a bit ambitious.”

“Apparently all the people calling me ‘the brightest witch of my age’ has gone to my head. Anyway, the difference between here and back home,” Having pulled the knife out of the lettuce, Hermione was using it fill the bowl manually while she spoke. “Is that the people who live here are not just aware that magic exists, they’re bloody fairy tale characters.”

Narcissa, whose knowledge of muggle fairy tales was holey at best, put a comforting arm around her. “At least they are perfectly civil fairy tale characters. While this might not be the same standard of living as at home, I certainly would not have enjoyed spending the night in that dismal police station.”

As it was the only room in the apartment to have a double bed – much to Henry’s frustration – Emma had played the good host and let her guests sleep in her bedroom. She had, however, neglected the cleaning since the last time Regina had visited, and really should have known to check the room before she showed it to Narcissa and Hermione. As it was, they opened the door to find clothes strewn across every available surface.

While Emma hurried back and forth, shoving underwear in drawers and hanging jackets up, Narcissa had wryly pointed out that she could have done the same thing in a fraction of the time if she only had her wand. Emma had only sighed, a resigned grin on her face, and told them she would ask Regina but guaranteed nothing. That was their first hint that maybe Emma wasn’t quite as in charge as she had appeared before.

Hermione frowned, still stuck on the first half of Narcissa’s comment. “It’s a bit frustrating, really.”

“What is?”

“Well, just the fact that all this,” Hermione gestured at the nondescript kitchen in front of them, “is so alien to me now. The extent of my reliance on magic compared to when I was growing up. I’m not sure I even remember when I last cooked completely without magic.”

“I suppose it’s a matter of using your skills and time in the most efficient way possible. If that means magic, then that’s just they way it is.”

Hermione thought about that for a second, and was about to reply when the heard the distinctive sound of a key in the lock echoed through the flat. They looked up just in time to see Emma walk in and half-slam the door behind her, a satisfied sigh escaping her lips as soon as she was safely home.

“Welcome home.”

Emma jumped, apparently having forgotten that she wasn’t alone. “Oh, yeah, Narcissa. Thanks.” She leant against the wall as she took off her boots, before neatly placing them on a shoe rack next to the door. Quickly noticing the quite large difference between that action and the state Emma’s room had been in the night before, Narcissa found herself glancing between the woman and her shoes in some confusion.

Noticing the direction of Narcissa’s gaze and correctly reading the expression on her face, Emma laughed. “Yeah, it was a housewarming present from Regina. I’m pretty sure that she’d curse me or something if I didn’t use it, you know? She’d say I was setting a bad example for her son, that kind of thing.” 

As she spoke, Emma joined the other women in the kitchen area, glancing at the bowl of salad briefly before she opened the fridge. 

“I see you guys found the… Wait, what?” Looking back out from the fridge, stared at the bowl of salad in some confusion. “Since when did I have salad?”

Hermione shrugged. “It was there when we got here.”

After a second, Emma seemed to accept that quite happily. “Probably Regina or MM, I guess.”

“MM?” Neither Hermione nor Narcissa had met Snow yet.

“Oh, Mary Margaret. Snow, really, Snow White. She’s kinda my mom.” Having seen how amazed Hermione was at the revelation that Snow White lived in Storybrooke, Emma had mumbled the last bit, to no avail.

“Snow White is your mother? Wait, so that makes David...”

“Prince Charming. Yeah.” Emma closed the fridge door.

“And you said Regina is the Evil Queen, right? Snow White’s Evil Queen?”

“Well, she was. She’s rehabilitated now, I guess.”

Hermione stopped to think for a second while Narcissa just nodded – her lack of in depth knowledge of muggle fairy tales stopped her from contributing much, but she could still follow the thread of the conversation. Emma just braced herself – her guest was obviously about to come to some big conclusion about this all.

“So, basically, you’re raising a child with the woman who poisoned your mum because she was prettier than her?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that. There were lots of lies and betrayals and true love and forced marriages and shit. And then the whole curse to end all curses causing time to stand still for twenty-eight years thing. I’ve gotta say, as someone who came to this whole fairy tales actually existing thing a bit later on in life, most of them are really different to what you’d expect.”

Hermione nodded, her mouth turned down in a slight frown. “Yeah, I think I’m beginning to see that.”

“Of course, there’s no better way to see that than to head down to Granny’s for some lunch. It’s the perfect chance for you to meet some more really life fairy tale characters.” Clapping her hands together, Emma walked back to the front door and put her boots back on while Hermione and Narcissa looked on, momentarily dumbfounded. Narcissa was the first to recover her wits.

“I would assume that the true reason for this sudden trip is that you forgot you don’t have any proper food, correct?”

Emma grinned sheepishly. “That too. I’d kill for a burger, after the morning I’ve had.”

As they followed Emma to the door, Hermione glanced at the clock on the wall. Seeing it was in the shape of an apple, she briefly wondered if it was another gift from Regina before remembering why she had looked.

“Speaking of work… Shouldn’t you still be there? I would have though being Sheriff was a fulltime job.”

“Not you too,” Emma groaned. “David’s covering for me. He’s the deputy anyway, and I think it makes him happy to do something as Dad-like as giving his daughter the afternoon off to go play. Just don’t tell Regina, or she’ll dock my pay for god knows how long.”

\---

By the time they had walked to Granny’s, Emma had given the other two women a thorough account of her day so far. After repeating one particular Regina-related highlight of the meeting, which left Narcissa laughing in that same women-raised-to-be-in-the-eyes-of-society way that Regina herself did, Emma stopped with her hand on the door handle.

“Now, technically we’re still trying to keep you guys a bit hush hush until the official statement is made this evening,” she said, with a slightly serious look on her face that soon faded into a cheeky grin. “Fortunately, the nosiest half of the town should still be camped outside either my office or Regina’s, so as long as we don’t draw too much attention to ourselves we should be fine. Cool?”

There was just an ever so slightly bitter hint to Hermione’s smile as she replied. “We’re well-practised at staying inconspicuous in public places.”

As Emma opened her mouth to ask why, Narcissa subtly shook her head. “A story for some other time, perhaps. I for one am starting to feel rather famished, so shall we…?” She gestured at the door as she trailed off, although Emma was left feeling more like she had received an order than a request.

Leading the other two women into diner, Emma promptly forgot her own advice and gestured grandly. “My home away from home, providers of excellent company and the best burgers in town.” Lowering her voice a little, she added, “But – and this is just between us – Regina makes better lasagne.”

“I heard that, Sheriff Swan!”

Emma winced as Granny’s voice drifted through from the kitchen. “Bloody wolf hearing.” 

“Wolf hearing?” Hermione said to Narcissa under her breath. “An animagus, maybe?”

Knowing she was going to be charged for pickles for at least the next week, Emma sighed and guided her guests to a table. Within seconds, they were joined by a grinning Ruby.

“Sorry Emma, but you should really know better by now.” Turning to Hermione and Narcissa’s side of the booth, she managed a slightly more penitent expression. “Sorry about yesterday, guys. I mean, I definitely had to turn you in, but still.”

Narcissa smiled. “It’s not a problem. Your dedication to the town’s best interests is really quite admirable.”

Nodding in thanks, Ruby slipped her notepad out, straight back into business mode. “Now, what can I get you ladies to drink?”

As Narcissa and Hermione were ordering, the outside door opened. Glancing up, Emma saw Neal coming in and waved him over.

“Em! What are you doing here?” Ruby stepped away to go get drinks, revealing Emma’s company. “Oh, so it’s you guys that’ve got the local rumour mill so excited?”

“That sounds about right.” Smiling politely at the newcomer, Hermione looked over at Emma and raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah, introductions, sorry. Guys, this is Neal Cassidy, he’s Henry’s father. Neal, this is Hermione Granger and Narcissa Malfoy, they came across the town while they were travelling. They’ll be staying at mine while they’re here.”

Neal shook hands with Hermione and Narcissa, before glancing back over at Emma. “If they’re staying at yours, then is Henry…?”

“At Regina’s for the foreseeable future, yeah. Dinner’s still on tonight though.” Spotting the slightly confused look on the other pair’s faces, Emma added. “We have dinner together every Wednesday – Regina, Neal, Henry and me. It was definitely a “Henry insisted” thing at the start, but… It’s not so bad now, right?”

Neal nodded, his brows furrowed and his mind elsewhere. “You guys should come along tonight, if you don’t have other plans. Regina won’t mind, right?” 

He directed that final inquiry to Emma, who shrugged.

“Come on, Em, you spend more time with her than pretty much anyone except Henry, you should know how she thinks.”

Emma snorted. “The day I can explain the inner workings of Regina Mills’ mind is the same day that you start calling for compulsory magic education.” As Neal winced, Emma continued, a fond smile on her face. “I don’t think she’ll mind, though. Henry certainly won’t – he’s probably plotting some kind of great escape from school to come see you guys.”

“Oh god, that is so damn true. Maybe we should give Snow a ring, just so she knows to be on guard?” Neal said, smirking. “Anyway, dinner tonight. You guys coming? Regina makes some of the best food I’ve ever tasted.”

After a quick no conversation needed eye contact conversation, Narcissa nodded. “It would be our pleasure.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

Emma and Neal both jumped – Regina had entered the diner without them noticing, and now stood smugly beside their table, obviously pleased to have caught them unawares.

“Regina!” Emma smiled at her. Neal just looked like he was trying really hard not to swear. “We were just saying that Narcissa and Hermione should come to dinner at yours tonight, since they don’t have any other plans and I’m sure Henry’s looking forward to meeting them.”

Regina smiled grimly. “Yes, after how incessantly he was asking questions last night, I didn’t quite feel safe letting him take the bus to school this morning. In the end I dropped him off and waited for him to enter the building before I left.”

“Yeah, he’s a right chip off the old block, isn’t he?” Neal nodded sagely. “But yeah, what’s on the menu tonight?”

“Miss Swan, may I have a word? Privately?” Regina added as Neal’s jaw dropped. When he stood up to let Emma out of the booth, he briefly grabbed the blonde’s shoulder. 

“Has she still not forgiven me for the whole car thing?”

Emma shrugged. “Sorry, Neal. She will eventually. As the resident Regina Mills expert, I can all but guarantee it.”

As she and Regina walked towards a series of unpopulated tables at the back of the diner, Emma heard Neal whining about the fact that Regina had been able to fix the car instantly anyway and stifled a chuckle. Instead she threw her arm around Regina’s shoulders, ignoring the disgusted look she received in return.

“So, what’s up?”

Regina opened her bag and drew out a long wooden box. “I have our guests’ wands. If you don’t have any objections, then I see no reason not to return them.”

“Did you get the chance to take a look at them?” Emma took the box and cracked the lid open a touch. Upon seeing both wands, apparently intact, she gave a little nod and closed it again.

“Briefly, but I think it will be much more profitable to study them under the advice of those who know them best.”

Emma grinned, her eyes sparkling with restrained laughter. “So, basically, it was too hard for you?”

“Of course not, Miss Swan, I merely did not think it worth the time it would take on my own when I have experts on hand. I do still have a town to run, after all, or did you forget that? You certainly seem to have forgotten about your own responsibilities.”

“Hey, that’s why I’ve got a deputy.”

Regina rolled her eyes. “You could have at least used your afternoon off to indulge in some healthy food, as opposed to that pile of grease I see Ruby has left for you.”

“I was banking on the fact that you’ll make something healthy for us tonight – no need to take this whole healthy eating thing too far, right?”

“Judging by the amount of takeaway junk in your car, you will be dead of heart disease by the time you’re forty, Miss Swan.” Regina sighed. “But I’m sure this isn’t the first time I’ve told you that. Perhaps not even the second.”

Emma just patted her arm affectionately. “At least then you’ll be able to hire a sheriff who actually does their paperwork, right? That sounds like a cause for celebration.”

“I certainly wouldn’t find your death a cause for celebration, Emma.”

Silence reigned for a moment as Emma tried to think of a response to Regina’s suddenly heavy tone. Eventually she just smiled.

“Well, aren’t you feeling generous today? Come on, if that’s all you wanted then why don’t we go back to the others. My burger’s getting cold, you know.”

“Actually, I’ll be returning to my office. Like I said, I still have a town to run.”

“Wait, did you just come here to give the wands back? Surely that could have waited until this evening?”

Regina raised her eyebrows and leaned forward slightly. “And deprive myself the pleasure of your company? Why on earth would I do that?”

And with that, she turned around and walked out of the diner, nodding briefly at Hermione and Narcissa and pointedly ignoring Neal on the way out. Sitting back down, Emma found the others had started eating without her, stopping frequently to argue about accountability in a world with magic. She took a bite of a burger and moaned happily.

“Oh, I needed that.” Ignoring the fond shaking of heads around her, Emma continued. “So, Neal, you got any plans for this afternoon?”

Breaking off from whatever comment he was about to make, Neal looked at her. “Not as far as I’m aware, why?”

“Well, I was thinking I would take these two ladies for a tour of the town,” she looked over at Hermione and Narcissa and added “If that seems interesting to you guys?” When they nodded, she turned back to Neal. “You’re welcome to join us, if you want.”

“I will take any and all plans that keep me away from my papa’s house. He and Belle have been spending a lot of time there lately, doing… Well, you know. How on earth did you cope when you were still living with Snow and David?”

Emma laughed. “Why do you think I got my own place? It’s bad enough when it’s just me, but the amount of times Henry walked in on them…”

While Neal shuddered at that thought, Hermione nudged Narcissa gently and upon gaining her attention raised her eyebrows. “You remember that time Draco…?”

Narcissa blushed faintly. “Apparently traumatising one’s adult children is a global phenomenon”


	5. Chapter 4

As Regina’s house loomed in front of them, Narcissa nodded with faint approval. Seeing that, Hermione snorted before turning to explain her reaction to Emma.

“You know, since we’ve met I’ve managed to help Narcissa lose a lot of prejudices, but hell will freeze over before she acknowledges anything less than this as a reasonably sized house.”

Emma smiled as she knocked on the door. “Yeah, I definitely think she and Regina will get along very well in that respect. I’m pretty sure she still secretly misses having a castle.”

Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing a grinning Henry. He granted her a brief “hi, Ma” but before Emma could reply he had already turned to Narcissa and Hermione and was bombarding them with questions.

“You guys have magic, right? Are you from fairy tales too, or are you something completely different? How long are you staying for?”

While Hermione and Narcissa stared at him, dumbstruck, Emma just shook her head and guided them inside. Deciding that they could handle one excited kid, she left them in the dining room and went to see if Regina needed any help with the finishing touches.

“Ah, Miss Swan, would you pass me that salad bowl, please?” 

Grabbing the bowl Regina indicated, Emma relayed it to her before leaning on the counter next to her. “Yes, I did have a wonderful day, what about you?”

Regina sighed. “Well, between the phone ringing nonstop, the small army of reporters and townspeople camped outside my office and the fact that in amongst all this I was supposed to find the time to buy groceries… It has certainly been one of my busier days in office. I almost miss the curse – the peasants were so much more agreeable back then.”

Engaging her most stern face, Emma put her hands on her hips. “No cursing innocent people, Regina, it’s really not good for your image.”

Regina laughed, lightly placing her hand on Emma’s. “I most solemnly promise not to curse anyone. Now, can I get on with dinner? Or if you’d rather have burnt chicken, I’m sure I can accommodate that.”

“Yes ma’am, right away ma’am.” Springing to attention, Emma grabbed the bowl she had previously given Regina, now filled to the brim with Greek salad. “I’ll take this through, shall I?”

When she re-entered the lounge, however, Emma realised that Hermione and Narcissa were not the match of an excited thirteen year old after all. Even as they tried to answer his questions, Henry was already rattling off a dozen more, and they were starting to look like harassed defendants in court. Deciding that she needed to intervene, Emma placed the salad in the middle of the table and clapped Henry on the shoulder.

“Hey, kid, why don’t you go grab some cutlery and set the table?” When he looked at her with those puppy dog eyes she was sure he inherited from Neal, she just shook her head. “Come on, you should be used to this by now. We’ve only been doing it every week for the best part of a year.”

The doorbell rang as Henry plodded to the kitchen. When Emma answered it, she found Neal on the doorstep.

“I’m not late, am I? I brought wine, anyway. Wine’s a good peace gift, right?”

\---

By the time they had finished their starter – Regina insisted on nothing less than a full three course meal – the atmosphere in the dining room had loosened up considerably. Although Neal had sulked when he found out Hermione worked at a school of magic (“some fucking world without magic”), Emma was finally starting to learn to just take all of these revelations in her stride, because of course there was a school for magical British children in the Scottish highlands. That wasn’t at all ridiculous. Instead, she just nodded, asked Hermione what that was like, and poured herself another glass of wine.

When Regina and Henry returned with the main course – some kind of chicken dish with a fancy name that Emma was pretty sure was Italian – Hermione was giving Emma and Neal a brief demonstration of her magical abilities, charming the wine bottle to float around the table, topping up any glasses it deemed lacking. Henry, momentarily distracted from the plates he was carrying, didn’t notice the food was slipping off them until Hermione let out a gasp and a quick shout of “arresto momentum!”

“Woah.” Henry was watching wide-eyed as chicken and rice floated around him. “Mom, why do you never do anything as cool as that?”

Sighing, Regina placed her share of the plates on the table, where – under Hermione’s careful direction – they were soon joined by Henry’s. “That, dear, is because I don’t like to waste my magic. And how else will you learn to pay attention when you’re carrying things?”

Seeing the start of a sulk on Henry’s face, Emma hurried to distract them. “Wow, Regina, no lasagne? I didn’t even think that was possible.”

“Unlike you, Miss Swan, most adults are capable of cooking more than one dish.”

Seeing what he considered a perfect opportunity to redeem himself in Regina’s eyes, Neal chimed in. “Yeah, even I can cook at least three decent meals.”

Regina just sighed and turned her eyes skyward. “Why do I let these idiots loose around my son?”

After a second, Neal leaned over to whisper in Emma’s ear. “At least she acknowledged me. That’s progress, right?”

The conversation was steered to much safer topics for the remainder of the main course, if only because the diners were too busy appreciating their food to take part in the kind of existential debates Emma could see Regina getting into with their new arrivals. Emma was finally starting to think they were going to get through the meal without any more mishaps when Neal well and truly put his foot in it.

“So… Do you guys have any kids?”

Hermione froze immediately with her fork halfway to her mouth, which was now closed in a grim frown. Narcissa, on the other hand, had looked surprised at first but quickly schooled her features back into a pleasant smile. After a few seconds, she nodded.

“Yes, I have a son.”

Emma could see the unfortunate rabbit hole Neal was about to go down, but there was little she could do to stop him without being too obvious.

“Oh, how old is he? About Henry’s age?”

“He’s thirty-four,” Hermione said, her teeth gritted and a blush forming on her cheeks.

The tension could have been cut with a knife. Emma and Neal were fighting to keep their jaws from dropping, and Henry was looking between them and Hermione, not quite sure what the big deal was. Regina was the only one who looked unflustered. Eventually, Hermione continued.

“We went to school together. It’s how Narcissa and I met, more or less.”

Noticing the reactions of Henry’s other parents, Regina subtly kicked Emma under the table. Unfortunately, she was too far away from Neal to give him the same treatment, and he had already started to mutter something about Narcissa being the perfect milf before Emma could stop him. On the other side of the table, Henry snorted with laughter.

“Oh man, dad, you are gonna be so fried once they’re gone.”


	6. Chapter 5

The morning after dinner at Regina’s, Emma took Narcissa and Hermione back to Granny’s for breakfast. Although she had maintained for the entire walk there that it was just because she hadn’t got around to going shopping yet, her companions remained unconvinced. Especially when she left with a tub of pancakes, muttering something about going to see Regina before she headed in to her office, leaving them to eat in peace. At least until Ruby sat down opposite them.

“Hey there, guys. How’s your food?”

When the other two women nodded their approval, Ruby smiled widely.

“Great! You know, it’s one thing cooking for the regulars – they know what to expect. But we don’t exactly get many tourists, so it’s a bit of a heartstopper trying to figure out whether, I don’t know, you prefer your bacon crispy, or your pancakes only just cooked, or whatever.”

“Well, as unusual as your American breakfasts seem to me,” Narcissa said, “The bacon is most certainly at the perfect level of crispy.”

“Thanks.” Ruby leaned forward, causing a sudden intensification of the atmosphere. “So… What’s it like, out where you come from? I always wanted to travel the world, you know, but nowadays it just seems safer here.”

Hermione raised her eyebrows. “So you’re living vicariously through us?”

“I guess so. So spill!”

“Well, back in Britain, there’s this school called Hogwarts…”

Hermione went on, explaining the kind of life wizarding teenagers lived back home. From time to time Narcissa would jump in with anecdotes about her own time in Hogwarts, although Hermione tended to wince a bit when names such as “Lucius” and “Bellatrix” were mentioned. Eventually, she reached a tale about the time she trapped a particularly annoying journalist in a jar one summer.

“Wait, so turning into animals is a thing for you guys?”

Hermione nodded. “Definitely. There are people like Rita, who are animagi, they can change into their specific animal at will but it takes a lot of training. Then there are those people who are affected by spells, or other unintentional transformations, like werewolves and-“

“Werewolves? You have werewolves?” Hermione found the eagerness with which Ruby asked revealing.

“There is a reasonable werewolf population throughout the world, although they are often at loggerheads with local authorities. They still face a lot of prejudice, and react quite understandably.”

Ruby frowned. “That sounds about right.”

“So then… Are you a werewolf?”

“It’s not really a word we had in the Enchanted Forest, but… yeah, I guess it’s the closest thing you have over here. Anyway,” she stood up, collecting Narcissa and Hermione’s plates as she did so. “My break was probably over ten minutes ago, so I should head off. Oh, and if you fancy going someplace quiet, the woods are really nice this time of year.”

\---

By the time Hermione and Narcissa returned to Emma’s flat, Emma was already home, lounging on the couch.

“Oh, hey guys. Have a good day?”

“Well, we certainly got our fair share of tourism done,” Hermione said, taking her shoes off and placing them next to Emma’s boots on the rack. “You really do have some extraordinary landscapes here.”

“Not forgetting the equally extraordinary human element,” Narcissa added after leaving her shoes with Hermione’s and taking their picnic basket through to the kitchen area. Once all the containers had been removed and left next to the sink, she returned to the lounge, standing next to the sofa with her eyebrows raised.

Emma snorted. “Yeah, we’ve got some right characters here, that’s for sure.” Stretching, she groaned and swung her feet around to resume a proper sitting position, allowing Narcissa to neatly sit down next to her. “Henry’s coming round tonight, Regina’s dropping him off after he gets out of his after school book club.”

“He likes reading? Now there’s a kid with taste.” Hermione dropped onto the sofa between the other two. “This is cozy.”

“Just wait till the kid gets here,” Emma said, before glancing pensively around the flat. “Actually, I might have some spare chairs somewhere. But yeah, Henry likes anything involving fantastical worlds – if you don’t watch out, he’ll have you playing video games with him before you even realise it.”

“Video games?” Narcissa looked at Hermione, her brow furrowed.

“Oh, they’re a kind of muggle… Toy, I guess? It’s a bit like an interactive film. I was never a fan, but the kids at my primary school were obsessed with them.”

Emma grinned. “Let me guess, too busy reading?”

“Something like that.”

Before Emma could reply, there was a knock at the door.

“That’ll be them,” she said, standing up. Sure enough, when she opened the door Henry and Regina stood behind it.

“Hey Ma!”

“Hi kid.” Emma barely got the chance to reply before Henry was pushing past her to go greet her guests, so she looked up at his other mother instead, smiling. “Hey, Regina.” 

“Thanks for taking him tonight. The joys of extra meetings are endless.” Regina smiled almost ruefully, shifting the plastic tub she was holding to her other hand.

“Is that your packed dinner? And I doubt either of us could keep the kid away from those two right now – it’s like all his Christmases have come at once.”

“Do you know the secret to not getting sauce all over your paperwork, Emma? It’s not eating while you’re filling it out.”

Emma shrugged. “Fair point. What’s that, then?”

“This, Miss Swan,” Regina sighed, “is your dinner. Since you missed it so much last night, I made you some lasagna. If you feel inclined to share, it should even be enough to feed all four of you.”

“Wow, Regina, thanks.” Taking the box from Regina’s now outstretched hands, Emma looked at it as if it were a particularly fiendish puzzle. “You really didn’t have to do this, you know.”

Laying a hand on Emma’s (such a pleasant warmth, Emma thought), Regina smiled at her. “It was my pleasure.” For a second Emma caught her eyes and saw something unusually tender, but she blinked and it was gone – Regina was back to her usual, business-like self. “After all, the rate at which you and Henry eat my cooking does wonderful things to my ego.”

Then, before Emma could argue, she was gone. As she turned away from the suddenly closed door, Emma saw Henry and Hermione on the sofa, the latter having already been convinced to play one of Henry’s latest games with him. Narcissa, standing behind the sofa to avoid any flailing arms, looked up when she felt Emma’s gaze reach her. When Emma started towards the kitchen to microwave Regina’s lasagna, Narcissa followed her.

“You seem very fond of Regina,” she murmured when they were far enough away from the others.

Emma shrugged. “Of course I am. We’ve been through a lot together.”

But Narcissa shook her head. “No, that is not the kind of fondness I am referring to.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Emma said firmly, then turned her back on the other woman to take some plates from a cupboard.

“You have every idea what I’m talking about!” Narcissa hissed, before glancing over her shoulder to make sure their conversation was still private. Satisfied, she continued. “You love that woman, and it is as clear as the nose on your face.”

“I do not love her!” Emma slammed the plates down as she spoke, resulting in a loud crash. She cringed as Henry and Hermione looked round at her, questioning looks on both of their faces. Narcissa shook her head at Hermione, who quickly pulled Henry’s attention back to the screen in front of him.

“Your response is hardly helping your case, dear.”

Emma sighed and leant against the counter, running a hand through her hair. “Even if I did, so what? What we have now is good. It’s comfortable, it’s enough.”

“Enough? Enough is no way to live, Emma. That kind of enough is never actually so, and you know it. She clearly feels the same way.” Narcissa stared straight at Emma then, daring her to argue. “And yet neither one of you will do anything about it, so nothing ever changes.”

Emma just stared intently at the floor. When she eventually spoke, it was quietly enough that Narcissa had to strain to hear. 

“I’m scared.”

“Why? Why on earth are you scared when this is so obvious?”

“The only real relationship I have had my entire life was with Neal, and look how that turned out. I don’t even think I’m capable of it any more. But with Regina and Henry, I have a family, a real family, for the first time ever.” She glanced back fondly at Henry, immersed in his game. “I don’t want to risk that for a relationship that’s probably going to end badly anyway.”

Narcissa shook her head. “Just think about it, Emma. Let yourself have some hope, for once.” She walked away, leaving Emma to the stormy mess that was her thoughts.

After a few minutes, she followed the older woman through to the lounge.

“Can you guys look after Henry for a bit?” she asked. When Narcissa nodded, she muttered a thanks and clumsily pulled her boots on. After patting her pocket to make sure her car keys were there, Emma slipped out of the front door.

\---

When Emma arrived at Regina’s office, the waiting room was populated solely by her secretary. Emma strode straight to the secretary’s desk.

“Is she alone?”

“Well, yes, but she has a meeting in-“ Not waiting to hear the rest, Emma opened the door to Regina’s office. The mayor herself didn’t look up from her paperwork straight away.

“Oh, you’re early, Mr Ro- Oh, Miss Swan? What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you.”

Concern spreading across her face, Regina half-stood.

“Emma, what’s wrong? Has something happened to Henry?”

“Regina, I-“ Emma paused. She had thought of so many variations on what she was going to say as she drove, but now they had all disappeared. Fumbling, she recalled her conversation with Narcissa and said the first thing that came to mind.

“Regina, I think I love you.”


End file.
